GOAT debate: Some of football's best players pick their favourite between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

The debate surrounding Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo looks never-ending. In the last decade, the two players have been the subject of heavy comparisons stemming from their other-worldly performances and the consistency with which they exercise their exploits.

The talismanic duo shares the record for the most Ballon d'Or wins and rightly so. The pair have raised the bar of what it means to be a football player to unprecedented heights, thereby cementing their status as absolute legends of the beautiful game.

Ronaldo has terrorized defences across Europe, recently becoming the first player in history to win the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. Having left Real Madrid last summer, the 34-year-old moved to Juventus where he won the Supercoppa Italiana and the Serie A in the previous season. He was further named the Serie A Player of the Year in his debut campaign in Italy despite not finishing as the league's top scorer. The Portuguese forward tallied 28 goals in all competitions for the Bianconeri and is set to increase his tally in the season to come.

Meanwhile, Messi's loyalty to Barcelona cannot overshadow his longstanding genius and natural ability. Last season, the 32-year-old helped the Blaugrana to a second consecutive La Liga title and won the Pichichi trophy as well as the European Golden Shoe for netting 36 goals in the league. The Argentine finished his campaign with a staggering 51 goals in all competitions and has been heavily tipped for a sixth Ballon d'Or this year.

Here, we take a look at who football's present elite players have picked as the better player between Messi and Ronaldo:

#1 Ander Herrera

Former Manchester United player Ander Herrera

Ander Herrera, who recently left Manchester United for Paris Saint-Germain, has stated that while he has faced some of the best players in football, none of them compares to Messi.

The former Red Devils star labelled the Argentine maestro as the most decisive player he has ever seen.

He said,

"The team (Barcelona) has the best player (Messi) in history. For me, the most decisive I have ever seen in my life, and I have played and faced the best, but there is none like him."

#2 Eden Hazard

Real Madrid Unveil New Signing Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard, who made his dream switch to Real Madrid recently, has always been vocal about his bias towards Lionel Messi and his stand on the decade-long debate between the Argentine and Cristiano Ronaldo has not changed.

The Belgian said,

"Two G.O.A.T.s (Greatest of All Time) you say? No way. There is only one G.O.A.T: Him, Lionel Messi!"

The former Chelsea superstar had played against Messi in 2018 and revealed that his sons really enjoyed watching the Barcelona captain, paying no heed to their father's underwhelming performances.

"Those two games against Barcelona were not my best memories of 2018. I was happy to play against Barcelona and Messi, but I didn’t deliver what I expected. I was disillusioned."

"My three sons were there for the home match at Stamford Bridge. The eldest is a big Messi fan - all of us are Messi fans, actually. He wanted to see Messi that day because Messi is a special player."

#3 Kylian Mbappe

It is a fact well-known that Cristiano Ronaldo was Kylian Mbappe's childhood hero. As the French sensation has established himself as one of the best players over the years, his opinion on the GOAT debate has started to change -- somewhat.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar had an interesting take when asked who he'd choose for his team. He said,

"If I had the choice between Messi and Ronaldo for my team? I'd retire and take both of them, to be sure that we win!"

He added,

"You don't have the right to denigrate one of these two monsters. To choose one would be an insult to everything that the other has achieved."

"When I was younger, I had fun comparing them both. From one year to the next, I changed [who he preferred], even though I admit to having defended Ronaldo more often."

"But now I'm grown up I'm less certain. There are the Barca followers who prefer [Johan] Cruyff and Messi. And there are others who will say that Ronaldo is the greatest athlete that football has known and won things wherever he went."

#4 Antoine Griezmann

Barcelona's latest recruit, Antoine Griezmann, has also weighed in on football's most heated debate, despite being known for saying he is on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo.

The World Cup winner gave a rather diplomatic response when asked for his pick for the 'greatest of all time' tag, even name-dropping players outside of Ronaldo and Messi like Pele, Zidane, and Maradona.

The France international said,

"Best player of all time? Well you know it depends on the era but I would say, Messi or Cristiano."

"I never saw how Pele or Maradona played. It's a tough question. Everyone has their own style."

"There's also Zidane. Zidane won the World Cup. Messi and Ronaldo never have."

Griezmann's longstanding transfer saga with Barcelona finally came to an end on Friday when the Catalan giants announced his signing from Atletico Madrid on a five-year deal.

#5 Angel di Maria

Paris Saint Germain's v Club Atletico de Madrid - International Champions Cup 2018

Of all the players on the list, Angel di Maria is the only one who has had the privilege of playing alongside both Messi and Ronaldo.

The Paris Saint-Germain star played with Ronaldo during his four-year stint at Real Madrid and rubs shoulders with Messi every year in the Argentina national team.

When asked to pick between the talismanic duo, he said,

"Messi is always the best, he's the best every year."

He added,

"Cristiano Ronaldo's a special player, but Messi's from another planet. There are no words to describe Messi, he always surprises you."

Argentina finished their 2019 Copa America campaign in third place after suffering a 2-0 loss to Brazil in the semi-finals. The tournament had its fair share of controversy courtesy of Messi, who accused the CONMEBOL of corruption and favouritism.

Edited by Nnanna Mba